And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
What does Isaiah 58:11 mean?
A fast is a day to afflict the soul; if it does not express true sorrow for sin, and does not promote the putting away of sin, it is not a fast. These professors had shown sorrow on stated or occasioned fasts.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Isaiah 58:8-12 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Isaiah 58:11
And the Lord shall guide thee continually - Yahweh will go before you and will lead you always. And satisfy thy soul in drought - (See the notes at Isaiah 41:17-18 ). The word rendered 'drought' (Margin, 'droughts;' Hebrew, tsachetsachoth) means "dry places" - places exposed to the intense heat of a burning sun and parched up for the want of moisture. The idea is, that God would provide for them as if in such places copious rains were to fall, or refreshing fountains to burst forth. And make fat thy bones - Lowth, 'Shall renew thy strength.' Noyes, 'Strengthen thy bones.' Jerome renders it, 'Shall liberate thy bones.' The Septuagint 'Thy bones shall be made fat.
Key words
- cause thee to rest
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cause thee to rest.
- guide
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And the Lord shall guide thee continually,.
- continually
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And the Lord shall guide thee continually,.
Context in Isaiah 58
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Isaiah 58 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as new exodus, Zion, and new creation. Isaiah is one of Scripture’s grandest prophetic books, moving from holy judgment to consolation, servant imagery, and new-creation hope. Read this chapter with the wider themes of holiness, judgment, and remnant in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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